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Question 3: How can schools on a restricted budget maximize the implementation of an Early College High School? Is it possible to implement specific components of it or is that ill-advised? |
Successful early college high schools reflect a culture of high expectations for all students that is achieved through an interdependent set of design principles, as opposed to a standalone program that can be layered onto a school. Yet these design principles that provide that essential foundation for early college high schools can be implemented even on a limited budget.
Beginning with a focus on personalization, by which schools make a commitment that each student will be well known by at least one adult, schools can design their schedules in a way that ensures that those essential relationships are forged and cultivated. The use of time differently may also require the use of staff differently. That kind of restructuring in the use of time doesn’t necessarily require additional resources, but a re-purposing instead of resources and an adjustment in priorities.
The guiding principle, ready for college, is a cost-free mindset that all school staff must share as a common set of high standards and high expectations for all students. It’s critical that the entire school agrees on a unified mission and vision that applies to every student. The ready-for-college design principle helps sustain a school structure that eliminates tracking and builds in key supports for student achievement. Such support begins and ends with powerful teaching and learning in the classroom, where teachers must scaffold their instruction through lesson design.
One low-cost approach for fostering powerful teaching and learning is through frequent and effective collaboration among teachers. In every school, there are teachers who excel in critical instructional strategies emphasizing discourse, critical thinking and problem solving. Through the use of collaborative, supportive professional learning communities, teachers can share such skills with one another as an effective means for strengthening instruction in all classrooms. A distinguishing characteristic of early college high schools is a unified commitment by all teachers to a common instructional framework and common instructional strategies that challenge students academically, regardless of discipline. Instructional consistency can be achieved by a sense of internal accountability shared by all teachers.
If they’re achieved, these two notions – teachers assuming responsibility for knowing all students well and all teachers assuming a strong sense of internal accountability – result in an enhanced role for teachers. This principle of redefined professionalism supports a culture in which teachers see themselves in a role that extends beyond the four walls of their classroom to focus on areas of shared responsibility to help students and their school achieve at high levels. A focus on redefined professionalism promotes teacher involvement in decision making so that every teacher becomes a leader.
Lastly, the principle of purposeful design ensures that every decision in the school is guided by the question of what is best for students. How does this move these students forward?
These are all things that can be done with limited funds.
That’s not to say that funding isn’t important. Smaller class sizes can promote personalization. Funding is important for the purchase of college text books. Funding also pays for important more comprehensive professional development efforts that go beyond what can be achieved through embedded professional learning communities.
Any of the above design principles can stand alone and be implemented separately to enhance a school program, but great synergy is achieved when they function as a whole to create a fully functioning early college high school.
